


I Feel Good About This

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 14:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16935018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: A blizzard hits while Lou and Branlin are on the road, so they have to do a little breaking and entering to keep warm.





	I Feel Good About This

**Author's Note:**

> Written for badthingshappenbingo prompt "natural disaster."  
> Title from the Mowgli's song!  
> The good good Lou still belongs to the good good Beammetothemoon!

Travelling through the mountains is fun.  Sure, there’s a lot of climbing, but the views are incredible.  Snow-capped peaks, picture-esque landscapes stretching as far as the eye can see, and the green pine trees waving in the wind.  That the cold nights give Branlin an excuse to cuddle up to Lou is an added bonus.

The snow starts falling heavier, though, to the point where they wake up to their tent sagging under the weight of what’s fallen during the night.  When Branlin pokes her head out of the tent, the snow is nearly up to her chest and the wind seems to be picking up.

“Uh, Lou?” Branlin says, snowflakes landing in her hair.  “I think we need to find a place to hunker down.”

“Ah, yes, my dear.  I wouldn’t want to lose you in the snow,” Lou says, leaning over her.  “I may know right the place.”

Branlin follows behind Lou, letting him do the heavy lifting of moving the snow out of the way.  She spends most of the day staring at Lou’s back and revising her earlier enjoyment of the snow. It can be scary as it approaches chest height. 

The bitter cold makes it hard to talk, so they're silent as they walk. Whenever they get silent, Branlin gets stuck in her head, so she runs into Lou's back when he stops.  Whoops.

Branlin peers around Lou and sees a rather large estate before them.  There are two distinct wings, with tall towers that make Branlin smile a bit.  

“That's where we're staying?” Branlin asks.  

“Yeah,” Lou says with a nod.  “Don't worry, it should be empty.”

Branlin looks up at him curiously.  “Are we breaking in?”

“Yes, there may be a touch of breaking and entering…” Lou says.  

Branlin is surprised- after all, Lou isn't the criminal type.  The opposite, in fact. 

But Branlin doesn’t have any major compunctions against breaking and entering if Lou doesn’t, so she follows along behind him the rest of the way, careful not to get too far into her own head this time.

They seem to have approached from the back, and Lou pauses when they’re right up close to the building.  He looks down at her and takes her hand.

“My dear, do you mind casting that jumping spell on us both?  There are other ways, but this would be quickest, and I’m eager to get you out of the cold,” Lou says.  “Once we’re up on the balcony, we’ll be inside in a moment.”

Branlin raises her eyebrows, growing more intrigued by the moment, and casts the requested spell.  Once cast, Lou jumps, bringing her with him. 

Lou ignores the door and goes right for the window, popping it open easily.  He shakes his head before crawling inside.

He reaches back through to take her hand and help her through the window.  With his help, she manages to avoid falling on her face, which Branlin appreciates.

Branlin brushes off her cloak as she looks around.  They’re in some sort of hallway, made of nice stone with carpeting and artwork as decoration.  She whistles softly. 

“What kind of place have you broken us into?” Branlin asks.  

“Oh, nowhere in particular, my dear,” Lou says, leading her down the hallway.  “C’mon, there’ll be a fire burning in the main room.”

Branlin continues following him, curious about the closed doors they pass.  There are so many of them. How many people must live here, and what has happened to them?

Sure enough, the main room has a fire burning brightly.  Magic fire, Branlin would guess, based on the lack of wood in the brazier.  

“Lou…” Branlin stops before she can cross over the warmth of the fire, looking up.  “Lou, is that  _ you _ ?”

There is a portrait hanging over the entryway to the room.  It’s of the royal family. Of course, Lou is there- she does know that he’s a prince- but it’s… weird.  It’s weird seeing him in princely regalia, looking serious and stiff.

“It is indeed, my dear,” Lou says.  

“We had a similar portrait- smaller- hanging in one of our libraries.  After you told me you were a prince, I used to wonder how I never recognized you.  I was in there multiple times a day, after all,” Branlin says as she crosses the space to Lou.  She wants the warmth of both the fire and Lou. “Now, I get it.”

“Have I aged so terribly?” Lou asks with a laugh.

Branlin knocks her hip against him, shaking her head as she keeps staring up at the facsimile of Lou.  She wants to find some relation to the man she’s come to care for so much. 

“Oh, you have nothing to worry about, darling,” Branlin says.  “To put it politely,  _ he  _ doesn’t look like very much fun at all.  I like you better.”

Lou squeezes her shoulder gently.  “Thank you, my dear. Unfortunately, my family is very much into wasting money on these portraits.”

Branlin looks up at him with a dawning grin on her face.  “Wait, is this your family’s estate?”

“Yes, it is,” Lou says.  

“I don't know if it counts as breaking and entering if it's your family's estate, my dear,” Branlin points out.  

“Well, they don't want us here!” Lou exclaims, affronted. 

Branlin tugs him down to her level for a kiss, cupping his face.  “You’re such a criminal influence. Also, if this is your family’s estate and they liked getting portraits done, that means there must be pictures of you as a child around.  You have to show me them!”

“You want to see my childhood portraits?” Lou asks.  “Right now? Aren’t you cold and damp from the walk?”

“There’s no time like the present!” Branlin says, kissing his cheek before taking his hand.  “I’m very excited for this, in case you can’t tell.”

Lou shakes his head as he draws himself up to his full height.  “Oh, I can tell. Luckily for you, there’s a hall, full of old portraits.”

At this point, Branlin is smiling so hard her face hurts.  This day is getting better and better by the moment.

After dispensing with their outer clothes, Lou leads her out of the main room, back down to one of those rooms that had made Branlin so curious earlier.  He pulls open the door and lets her inside.

It’s less of a hall and more of a museum room- rows and rows of portraits and pictures, suits of armor and what Branlin assumes are family relics interspersed between.  The pictures from Lou’s era are right upfront, on prominent display,

Branlin takes it in with interest, watching Lou age in reverse.  Like the portrait in the main room, Lou looks far more serious than Branlin has ever seen him, but it’s still fun to see the hints of the man she would come to know.

When she’s standing before the picture with a little blond haired boy of around six or so, she grins up at Lou.  “You were a cute kid. I love the little sword. He  _ still  _ looks so much more serious than you.  A very serious tiny child.”

“I'm sure that you were also an adorable child.  Perhaps one day, we’ll go to your home and see your pictures,” Lou says.

Branlin snorts, resting her head against him.  Her hand has snaked its way around his waist. It’s chilly enough that it’s good to be close like this.  

“There aren’t any pictures of me, my dear.  I didn’t have any money, and if I did, I would’ve bought… I dunno.  Some shiny bauble, probably,” Branlin says. 

“Weren’t you the chancellor’s ward?” Lou asks.

“Oh, nothing like that.  I didn’t have any parents and Valrona was technically the person in charge of me, but I wasn’t actually her ward.  Just some orphan,” Branlin says with a shrug, looking down the rows and rows of Lou’s family’s artifacts. “It’s funny- your family’s history is carefully chronicled going centuries back.  I can’t even name my parents. We’re quite the pair.”

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Lou says softly.

“That we’re a pair?” Branlin asks with a frown.  She likes being a pair with Lou.

“Of course not!” Lou exclaims.  “That you didn’t know your parents.”

“I’m not!” Branlin says, smiling up on him.  “I like how things worked out, and I don’t think growing up with parents that didn’t even want me enough to name me would’ve been better, somehow.”

“That’s quite the sunny outlook,” Lou says.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Branlin says with a shrug.  “Besides, given that you ran away from your parents, obviously having parents isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Lou chuckles, brushing a stray hair out of her face.  “I suppose you have a point. Although, I doubt your parents would be so corrupt.”

“Who knows?  They could be a pair of murderers,” Branlin says.  

“It is hard to believe that you could have come from murderers,” Lou says.

Branlin snorts.  “You came from your parents, and you’re the most just and genuinely kind person I’ve ever known.”

They smile at each other in contented silence for a moment before continuing on their way, all the way down to little baby Lou.  Also, adorable. Also, very serious baby.

From there, they continue on and Lou shows Branlin the rest of the main part of the estate.  They find an old chess set of Lou’s and bring it to main private chamber, curling up in twin armchairs that Branlin feels almost lost in, overlooking the scenic mountains in the distance.

It’s been some time since Lou has played, but Branlin never played very much at all, beyond a passing interest when she was a teen that waned when she realized playing against herself was no fun.  She still remembers all the rules; though, that’s not enough to keep Lou from beating her handily several times in a row.

“Depending on how long we get stuck here, I may just come close to beating you eventually,” Branlin says part way through their seventh game.  “You are quite the chess talent.”

“Don’t feel bad, my dear.  I had quite a lot of practice in my youth,” Lou says.

“Oh, no, I don’t mind losing.  It means that I’m learning from an expert,” Branlin says.

“I don’t know if I would go that far, but thank you.  And, ah, that would be checkmate,” Lou says.

“Already?  Dang it,” Branlin says.  “I’m generally a quicker study than this.”

“Maybe some food would help.  It’s starting to get late,” Lou says.  

Branlin’s first instinct is to wave him off because she doesn’t need food- she just needs to work harder and she’ll get this.  She’s very good at setting aside her needs to keep working until she masters whatever it is she sets her mind to. That this is a game is no different than anything else, really.

But as she moves to let him know that she’s fine,  _ really _ , she realizes a couple things.  First, she doesn’t actually have to master chess.  It’s just a game, and as much as she’s sure she would enjoy winning, she could lose to Lou for the rest of her life, and that would be fine.  Wonderful, even, because it would mean that she and Lou were playing games together for the rest of her life.

Second, Lou probably wants to do something other than sit here and play chess against an opponent that he could beat asleep.  They’re in a castle, for crying out loud. There are probably cool things to do in a castle, right?

Finally, she’s hungry.  Her stomach is rumbling loud enough that Lou probably heard her, and she’s only just realizing that she’s starved from their walk out here and their tour around the estate.  She’s hungry, and Lou figured that out before her because she was so focused on mastering chess. 

There’s a simple fix for all of these realizations.  Branlin gets to her feet and takes Lou’s hand. 

“What are the chances that your family left a full steak dinner in the kitchen?” Branlin asks lightly as they head towards the kitchen.

Lou just laughs.

* * *

They enjoy the rest of their evening, but soon enough, they both start yawning.  

“My dear, I think it’s time for us to turn in,” Branlin says when she catches Lou nodding off again.  

“Yes, about that…” Lou says, clearing his throat.

Branlin tilts her head.  “Not into sleeping?”

Lou smiles at her briefly.  “I know that circumstances of late have required us to share a room and a bedroll, but I would never want to  _ presume  _ that we would share.  Should you prefer, my sister’s room is right by mine, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you were to use it while we’re here.”

Branlin’s initial thought is of being rejected, abandoned- that perhaps Lou doesn’t want her around, has only let her snuggle up to him because he didn’t have another choice.  Maybe she’s been making him uncomfortable this whole time. But then she takes a moment to actually listen to the words coming from his mouth. Her own fears don’t actually match the words that Lou is saying.

“Is that what you would prefer?” Branlin asks. 

“I have grown used to sharing with you, my dear,” Lou says.  “I enjoy it greatly, but I understand if a lady such as yourself would prefer the privacy of a separate room.”

“Oh, wow, a lady,” Branlin murmurs, kind of surprised, before actually addressing Lou.  “While I appreciate your concern, I, uh, really like sharing with you! A lot.”

Lou smiles at her in seeming relief.  “Then right this way.” 

It's definitely the grandest room they've stayed in, with a large bed right in the middle.  They take their time getting ready for bed, which takes some time, as Branlin's braid is coming undone and she needs to fix it before she can sleep.  

There's a strange intimacy to this.  She's perched on the edge of the bed, brushing out her hair.  From where she's sitting, she can see Lou reflected in the mirror.  

Lou is laying back on the bed, fingers laced behind his head.  He's watching Branlin work with an inscrutable expression on his face, but she doesn't feel hurried.  

When her hair is smooth, she twists it into a simple plait.  It's a comforting, familiar rhythm, but it feels… warmer than usual, tonight, so she takes her time with it.  

A light blush has settled over Branlin’s cheeks by the time she’s done, the inevitable side effect of being at the center of Lou’s undivided attention.  She smiles at him in the mirror before turning around to smile at him directly, and Branlin crawls over to him.

There’s a spot under Lou’s arm that Branlin has found she fits quite nicely in, and she snuggles in there now, Lou’s arm wrapping around her.  The two of them make a pretty picture, and Branlin lets her gaze roam lazily over their reflection. 

Branlin doesn’t know how long they stay like that because her limbs grow heavy and her eyes slide shut.  She turns unconsciously to curl even closer to Lou, wrapping her arm around him so she can bury her face against him.  The biggest bed she’s ever slept in, and she’s curled up tight.

A great rattling noise half wakes her up some time later, but the wind from the storm is unable to touch her under the blankets that have been carefully tucked around her.  If she was back at Minbury, Branlin would sneak out of her bed to the roof, driven by an inexorable need to do  _ something _ .  The feeling of a storm raging around her made her heart beat hard enough to make her feel alive, and plunging into the darkness added an extra layer of danger that was so enticing.

“Lou,” Branlin says in a scratchy whisper.

No response from the man she’s intertwined with.

“I think I’m happy.  I don’t think I ever really was before, for so long,” Branlin says, words coming slowly, weighed down by sleep.  “I think I’m changing, and it’s a lot but it’s good.”

Branlin exhales in relief when there’s no answer, no change in Lou’s steady breathing.  She doesn’t want to do anything other than lay here with Lou, maybe drift back asleep. There’s beauty in the little moments and enjoyment in doing absolutely nothing at all.  

* * *

The storm rages outside for days.  Branlin never does come close to beating Lou at chess, but she is very good at blackjack, it turns out.  They don’t accomplish anything much, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. 

But the day finally comes when it’s time to leave the estate, and they bundle up in their winter clothes.  

“Are you ready for the cold?” Lou asks, looking down at her as he finishes pulling his armor on.  

“Just don’t leave me behind if you lose me in the snow,” Branlin says with a laugh.  

“I would never!” Lou says, affronted.

“I know,” Branlin says.  She smiles at him, taking his hand in hers.  “Thank you.”

Lou tilts his head, frowning at her even as he squeezes her hand.  “You don’t have to thank me for not abandoning you, my dear.”

Branlin squeezes his hand in return.  “I just really appreciate you being you.”

Lou leans down to kiss her, soft and sweet, and when he pulls away, they have matching smiles.  

The cold doesn’t feel so bad with someone else.  


End file.
